August 25
by SnaiLight
Summary: A day into the life of the ER. A grateful patient's gift turns the ER upside down. Camaraderie ensues. Not a shipper story.


Summary: A day into the life of the ER. A grateful patient's gift turns the ER upside down. Camaraderie ensues. Not a shipper story.   
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: None that I could think of since there isn't a particular timeline for this story.  
  
Timeline: I guess one could say that this story's set in a Parallel Season Nine Universe in which Lockdown never happened. What you need to know then is:  
  
-Abby is an ER nurse and currently single  
  
-Carter and Abby never hooked up  
  
-Carter is still Chief Resident   
  
-Chen and Pratt never hooked up  
  
-Chen is still a Resident   
  
-Corday is Associate Chief of Surgery and still coping with the death of Mark  
  
-Gallant and Harkins are med students in the ER   
  
-Kovac is an ER Attending   
  
-Pratt is an Intern in the ER   
  
-Susan Lewis is an ER Attending and she and Abby aren't in good terms yet   
  
-Chloe Lewis and little Susie are still living in Phoenix   
  
-Romano is Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery and…is still being his usual charming self!  
  
-Weaver is the Chief of the ER and currently single  
  
More about timelines: This story is supposed to take place during a single day in the ER, more specifically during the day shift, on August 25 2003.   
  
A/N: Just some more things you might wanna know:  
  
I don't live in the US and haven't seen whole Season Nine yet.   
  
English is not my first language either and this story is not beta-read. If you spot any kind of mistakes, let me know. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.   
  
I'm no doctor and I have no medical knowledge whatsoever. I tried to put a little medicine in this, though, so forgive my many mistakes.  
  
Last but not least, this is something I've started working back on only recently, but the original idea for this occurred to me months ago...Somehow I still think this story is worth being written...Hope you'll let me know if it is worth being read either.   
  
Fore more specific notes see at the end of each part.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I make no money out of this. Suing is useless.   
  
Acknowledgements:   
  
-To R. and C., for what you taught me and what I hope you will teach me again in the future.  
  
-To the Manager, Literary Woman, Medicine Woman and To all the Club of the First Wives-you rock!  
  
-To LB, who never interferes with my Muse!  
  
-To ET...you always help me when I'm in need...you're a friend indeed!  
  
-To SNC...you always make sense of my plots!  
  
-To M&M and F&F...without you I couldn't write a single word.  
  
-To the Teaching Kind...you know your stuff!  
  
  
  
August 25  
  
-Part One-  
  
"Don't you love summer, Jerry?" asked Carter as he breezed into the ER, sporting a bright Hawaiian t-shirt and a pair of Ray Ban shades.  
  
"Not particularly, Carter, especially when the air-conditioning is down." The veteran desk clerk replied with a well-trained tired smile as he rummaged through piles of paperwork, ignoring the two ringing phones by his sides. "How was your vacation in Maui?"  
  
Carter smiled and shrugged dismissively as he looked all around him. Chaos reigned all over the ER. As usual. He wondered if it was Kerry's day off. After his three-week Hawaiian vacation he was having problems remembering his own schedule, let alone his boss's one. He scratched the back of his head, pensively, as he felt his own body temperature rise.   
  
"That bad already, huh?" he wondered out loud.   
  
"Cook County General ER. Yeah, hold on."  
  
"Drin!!!"  
  
"We got your card, Carter, thanks." Randi chirped in perkily, scurrying from one end to the other of the new Admin Station, chewing noisily her gum and drinking some iced tea as she went. She stopped for a second and grabbed something that was tucked behind the side of the patients' board. She twirled back around and waved it back towards Carter: it was his own postcard from Maui.   
  
"Come on doc, tell me something about your vacation. How was the-"   
  
"Wonderful, Jerry. Everything was wonderful." Carter cut in quickly, before the desk clerk could start his usual third degree. He smiled as he added "It's good to be back, though."  
  
"Welcome back present for you, doc." Randi interjected again as she used both hands to fan herself with three charts. "You get to pick your first patient." She smiled mischievously and Carter automatically smiled back. "Let's see what we got..." she read out slowly, pausing for effect from time to time, posing like a fortuneteller "...a LOL in Exam Two, a baby who's swallowed a key in Exam Three, and a killer sunburn in Curtain One."  
  
Carter chuckled, playing along, closed his eyes and picked a chart. It glanced casually across it " Killer sunburn it is. Ms. Everett. An attractive young woman sunbathing topless, I hope."  
  
"Nah, just a middle-aged fat woman. Looking like a giant tomato at the moment." Jerry butted in with a sneer.   
  
Randi shook her head forcefully, "No. Trust me, the shade is definitely more salmon-like, doc."   
  
"What a pity." Carter shrugged, half-smiling, resigned to his bad luck. "I'll go change in the lounge and then I'm all yours."  
  
"You wish you would, doc- " Carter chuckled as the lounge door closed behind him.  
  
Susan was already in there, bent over the small fridge.  
  
"Hey, Susan. Trying to cool a little bit?"  
  
"Hey Carter, welcome back!" she smiled as she turned around and slammed the fridge shut. "And no, I'm used to the heat." Another smile which quickly turned into a grin. "I lived in Phoenix for five years, remember? Actually I was looking for my iced tea. Can't find it anywhere."   
  
Carter motioned towards the fridge, a helpful firmness stamped on his jaw. Susan stopped him with a quick gesture as she took a couple of steps and then plopped on the couch. " I give in." She then grabbed a chart and started fanning some fresh air in her face.  
  
"Did you label it?" asked Carter, his back turned to her as he opened his own locker.   
  
Frowning exaggeratedly, "What? The tea? Why on earth did I have to?"  
  
Carter turned around and burst into laughter. Susan's frown grew even bigger if that was possible. Half-angrily, "What?...Carter! Care to share with me? Come on, I could do with a good laugh myself!"   
  
Carter took a deep breath and tried to get a grip on himself, "This is really funny…I mean. You really should have… labeled the tea, that's what I'm trying to say. Otherwise it's like saying it's up for grabs. This is something you taught me when I first got here, remember?"  
  
Susan chuckled herself, understanding dawning on her. She nodded almost complacently as she said "Yeah, you're right…Always known the nurses are pretty vicious about unclaimed edible supplies…"  
  
"…It's one of the ER Golden Rules…" Carter echoed, grinning more widely, "…I think what we have here is a fine example of the student outshining his mentor…"   
  
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Carter," it was Susan's time to grin as a challenging sparkle flashed through her eyes, "What you have here is a juvenile Alzheimer you have to rule out!" she finished, sneering.   
  
Carter laughed out again, defeated. As he did so he retrieved his stethoscope and lab-coat; he mechanically put them both on. He quickly changed his mind, though, and put the lab-coat back in the locker.  
  
"Aren't you going to put on your lab-coat?" Susan asked in mock surprise, ruefully, "What happened to that cute med student who showed up with the first tailored lab-coat I've ever seen? Mr. Professional isn't so professional anymore?"  
  
Carter put on his best surrender-expression as he said stated the obvious, "It's really incredibly hot, Susan."  
  
"Yup, days like this really remind me of Phoenix..." She playfully bit her lip, a judgmental frown on her face while she looked down on his flashy t-shirt. She started smoothing the lapels of her own immaculate lab-coat, "Yet.."  
  
"It's just too hot." Carter reiterated and then added "Come on, Susan, don't pull a Weaver on me-"   
  
"Ah! This is a low blow…"  
  
"-Besides this place needs a bit of color."  
  
"There is a reason why they call us the whites, though."  
  
"Don't start with the innocence crap again, Susan!" Carter said quickly right before slipping out of the room. A couple of steps and he was by the Admin Station again.   
  
Jerry was eating a sandwich.  
  
"So, where's my patient, Jer?"  
  
Spitting crumbles all over the chart he was handing the doc, Jerry managed to splutter "Curtain One".  
  
Carter headed towards his destination. He stifled a laugh when he saw his patient. Sure enough the two clerks' unmerciful remarks were right to the punch. The sunburn lady looked like a giant lobster for real. She was standing near a gurney while Chuny was making the nearby bed.   
  
"Good morning Ms. Everett. I'm Dr. Carter. So, you have a sunburn?"  
  
Acidly, "What does it look like to you, doc? I fell asleep on the beach." Carter didn't say a word, meeting Chuny's eyes fleetingly. They spoke volumes. You asked for it. He smiled sheepishly.   
  
"I see. You can lay back on the gurney as I examine you."  
  
"I can't. It hurts too much."   
  
Another killer look from Chuny.   
  
He shrugged with studied candor.   
  
Smiling amiably, "Then just lean on it, ma'am." The lady smiled back. So did Chuny.   
  
No, he wasn't that rusty. And yes, he was ready to be back on the horse.   
  
***   
  
"Dr. Lewis, there's a call for you on four." Jerry said peering into Trauma Two. The guy on the table was covered in blood and so were the gowns of the doctors working on him. The machines were beeping loudly.  
  
Despite all those years of work in the ER Jerry still didn't understand a bit about medicine, but even him could say that, from the look of it, the poor guy wasn't doing good.  
  
"Tell them to call me back later, don't you see I'm a bit busy right now?" Susan replied without even looking up. She was administering CPR to the patient.  
  
"It's your niece, Dr. Lewis."  
  
"Susan, you can go." Kerry's statement was abruptly business-like and needed no reply. Not that Weaver actually ever paid any attention to a subordinate's reply, or so Susan thought. Susan was also almost positive she could detect a bittersweet note in that bitchy order, though. It was something she was used to. Yet it never failed to baffle her. Compassionate Weaver. "I'm afraid there's not much left to do. It's been thirty minutes."  
  
"Okay," Susan nodded stopping pressing the guy's chest. She stepped off the gurney and tossed her gloves aside.   
  
As Kerry pronounced the time of death she got out of the room and reached the intercom on the wall, grabbed the receiver and dialed four.  
  
"Hello?"   
  
  
  
"Hi auntie Susan! It's me, Susie!"  
  
"Hi sweetheart, how are you?"  
  
"Good. I called to tell you that mom bought me a new pair of soccer shoes! They're really like pro shoes this time… with studs and everything…only smaller…and they're matching with the school team uniform, of course! You've got to see 'em!"   
  
"Wow, can't wait to see you playing again" Susan said smiling as she held the receiver between her ear and her shoulder while a nurse gave her a chart to sign. "I'm glad you called, Susie, but you know you shouldn't call me at work unless it's an emergency."  
  
"I know it's not an emergency, but it's important and-I'm sorry Big Suz, she took my cellphone and dialed the number all by herself." Chloe came on.  
  
"Right, Chloe, who gave her the number, though?"  
  
"Come on, Susiecakes! She's not four anymore…she's bright enough to use a cellphone, learn a number by heart or use the speed dial…and I don't think it's a crime-"   
  
Sighing, "Chloe-"  
  
"-She's your niece for Christ's sake!"  
  
"-Chloe!"  
  
"Susan!" Haleh yelled.  
  
Susan span around and nodded forcefully towards the nurse. "-Chloe, I'm at work-"  
  
  
  
"-Work, work, work…This is all you talk about Susie…This is all you care about…You don't give a damn about me, nobody does, but that's history…you don't give a damn about little Susie either, though-"  
  
"-Chloe, did you have a fight with Joe?"  
  
"SUSAN!"   
  
Susan put the receiver down for a moment "What?"  
  
"Susan! Your patient in Exam Three, he crashed!"   
  
Frantically, "Chloe? Chloe? Are you listening to me? Chloe! Look, I gotta go now. I'll call you when I'm home, bye."  
  
***  
  
A fat, black man approached the admin desk, huffing and puffing since he was carrying a big box.  
  
Jerry gave him an annoyed look.  
  
"Listen, this is the last time. We're not Da Toni self-service and we don't need any vegetable supply. We're an ER, for God's sake, can't you read the signs?"  
  
The fat man dropped the big box right in front of Jerry. Jerry gulped down heavily, realizing only in that moment the bulky size of the brawny man in front of him.   
  
" I know man. I'm here to see Dr. Greene."  
  
Jerry smiled meekly, comforted by the apparently docile nature of the fat man. Then he frowned again. "Sorry, who did you say you wanna see, sir?"   
  
Patiently, "Dr. Greene."   
  
Jerry cringed and sighed," I'm sorry, he doesn't work here anymore, but we have plenty of other good doctors that can have a look at you…uhm… if you just go over there…that's chairs. I mean, that's where you can wait."  
  
Stubbornly, "I don't need no doctor, man, I'm here for Dr. Greene, where can I find him?"  
  
Jerry gaped. "Uhm, he-he passed away last may." He stuttered at last, striving not to stop numbly in mid-sentence.   
  
Fat-man looked utterly distraught, horror written all over his face. Jerry frowned. He was black. He couldn't possible be a relative of Dr. Greene.   
  
Jerry shook himself and focused back on Fat-man. He was moaning loudly. Too loudly for Jerry's taste. "Oh man. I owe him my life. I was here to bring him a gift. August 25 is Dr. Greene's day in my book. It has been since ten years ago." The man explained shaking his head, talking to himself, mostly.   
  
Jerry fought hard a strange impulse to pat the man's enormous shoulder. So he said softly, "Maybe I can get you his widow for you. She works here, too."  
  
Sniffing, "Thanks, I'd appreciate it."  
  
***  
  
The intercom buzzed up on the surgical floor. Shirley hit the button. "Surgery, Nurse O' Connor speaking. Uhm…I see. She's scrubbing for an appendicectomy, I'll see if I can get her for you."  
  
She then got into the scrubbing room next to OR One.  
  
Dr. Elizabeth Corday and Dr. Robert "Rocket" Romano were carefully and energetically scrubbing, their arms covered in foam up to their elbows.  
  
"Dr. Corday, they want you in the ER."  
  
Elizabeth scrubbed her little finger for the tenth time and proceeded to her ring finger. She knew it was just her imagination but it always felt like something was wrong with her ring finger. She scrubbed harder until she felt the first itching of a superficial abrasion. She shook her head, knowing all too well that she couldn't scrub memories off.   
  
"Dr. Corday?"  
  
Flatly, "We're doing an appendicectomy in five minutes, Shirley. Send Edson or the intern on call down."  
  
"They said it's about Dr. Greene."  
  
Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat. For a moment she felt like the world had stopped dead and then started spinning around her. Fast and furious.  
  
Not the way it had felt on the London-Eye, with Ella in her lap, gurgling happily. No, it felt the very same way she had felt the first time she had been on a roller coaster. In Chicago. With Mark.   
  
She allowed herself to take a deep breath, thanking inwardly Nanny Angelique, her own nanny, her own disturbed British divinity of self-control.   
  
She immediately felt two pairs of eyes bearing holes into her. She smiled bravely but kept her eyes down, fixed on her hands. She was amazed herself at the fact that she hadn't stopped scrubbing; on the contrary her nervous hands worked even more restlessly. Her own two hands, which she had once considered almost sacred because of their healing power, were now daily tortured, two more victims of that mechanism of self-defense she had painfully learnt in the last years.   
  
"You can go, Lizzie." Romano interjected lightheartedly, " It's not a complicated procedure. I can start without you. Just don't take long, though, 'cos, truth is, I need you to keep me awake through this surgery. Not that I actually need your help."  
  
Something inside Elizabeth snapped. She shook her head and spoke more vividly "It's so gratifying to see how highly you appreciate my surgical skills, Robert. I'll be back soon. Shirley, would you please put on some of that awful music Edson listens to while he operates? That should keep you awake until my return, Robert."   
  
Romano cried in mock annoyance, "Don't dare put on one of those Limp Bizkits CDs Shirley!"  
  
Elizabeth almost laughed and rinsed her arms before taking an elevator down to the ER.  
  
(To be continued…)  
  
A/N: This story is heavily inspired by and based on my favorite ER episodes ever, that is…most of Season One!   
  
Hence you can all understand that they're way too many to name…Yet I'm sure most of you can recognize some of the quotes and/or scenes I used…  
  
To cut a long story short, yes I almost literally "cut and pasted" stuff (scenes/dialogues/lines/plotlines/patient's names etc. etc) from my fave eps and then edited them all to fit into this story…hope you're enjoying my handiwork!;-P 


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